I have decided to devote this semester of free inquiry to acquiring a comprehensive list of well-rated, thoroughly critiqued running routes. I have chosen the general area from Goldstream to Swartz Bay, to give myself a wide range of terrain including roads, coastal and hiking trails.

My primary goal in pursuing this project is to break my boredom and frustration with my current running routes – some of which I love, but many of which are getting old. Lately, I have found myself so stuck in my busy schedule that I simply avoid new trails without a concrete idea of how long they are, what the terrain is like, and how much shelter they offer from our ever-rainy weather. By the end of this semester, I hope to have gathered enough routes to categorize by distance, terrain, and overall experience. This leads me to my second inquiry goal, which is to be able to share this data with friends. I hope to generate something useful for others, to enable them to also explore local areas on foot, whether running or hiking. Overall, this is both a fitness and community based goal through which I hope to explore the beauty of the W̱SÁNEĆ and Lekwungen territory, and simultaneously gather useful data.

To begin, I will be using a combination of Google Maps, Strava, and AllTrails to conduct route research, and my Garmin Venu to track my routes. I will be using my phone to gather media from each route. Another great resource I will be using conduct research and build my routes from is RunVictoria, which provides several road routes from Swartz Bay to downtown, ranging from 9km or less to 17km+.

My weekly posts will look something like this:

(A photo from the route)

Map: Strava and/or Garmin map to depict chose route.

Terrain: review and classification of the route’s terrain, noting elevation, trail or road base, etc.

Distance/Elevation: km distance and m elevation statistics.

An Honest and Thorough Review: further comments on the route, including both vehicle and foot traffic, accessibility, scenic elements, flow, structure, and overall feel.

Rating: a rating out of 5, using the following scale.

1 = Poor, would not run again.

2= Adequate, not likely to be a regular run.

3= Good, few complaints, got the kms in, proposed alterations.

4= Great, would run again and recommend to a friend.

5= Fantastic, fun kms, would repeat solo and with friends!

Photos were obtained and downloaded through UnSplash.